- Date
- December 10, 1991, 16:42 local (23:42 UTC)
- Place
- Temple Bar, AZ
- Injuries
- 5 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N350MRPiper PA31-350
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19911210063089A
- Case key
- 27393
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot-in-command's poor inflight decision by not electing to proceed to an alternate airport and to continue to the flight under visual flight rules into instrument meteorological conditions. The low ceilings and visibilities across the flight route and the mountainous terrain were factors in the accident.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The commuter flight was enroute to its home airport and over mountainous terrain when it encountered low ceilings and rain showers. The airplane was not certificated for IFR commuter flights. Instead of going to an alternate airport the pilot attempted to maintain visual conditions and requested and received a visual clearance into the tca and advised the controller that his altitude was 5100 feet MSL. His radio transmission became garbled during the clearance read back and shortly thereafter the controller observed the airplane's radar target turn left from its westerly track and disappear from his scope. There were no further communications between the pilot and the controller. When the aircraft failed to arrive at its destination an alnot was issued. Early the next morning the aircraft's wreckage was found impacted in a mountain approximately 10 miles south of course at an elevation of 4100 feet MSL. The investigation revealed that the pilot had previously and successfully flown the accident airplane in IFR conditions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N350MR
- Reported as
- Piper PA31-350
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 317652100
- Airframe hours
- 7,433
- Engine
- Lycoming TSIO-540-J2BD, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Las Vegas Airlines, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Fairchild Federal Credit Union
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · December 1, 1991 · 13 hours before
- Departed
- GCN · Grand Canyon, AZ
- Destination
- VGT · Las Vegas, NV
- Flight plan
- Unknown
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,972 total · 654 in this make and model · 205 in the last 90 days · 37 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 52 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAS, 26 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.